Millions of people in the modern world use beauty filters on social networks to improve their appearance in the photos. But can these digital transformations affect perceptions of human intelligence and reliability? Spanish scientists have found that filters really increase the perception of attractiveness, as they make a person more friendly and happier in the eyes of others. However, as far as intellectual, this effect is not very clear, the "improvement" of exterior reduces the connection between beauty and intelligence. The work was published in the Journal of Royal Society Open Science (Rsos).
The so-called "attractiveness effect" has long been known. People with pleasant external people are often attributed to other positive qualities, intelligence, honesty, friendliness. However, most research on this topic was conducted in controlled environments and small designs. In the digital era, where millions of people use filters every day can be surprised whether this effect is preserved in the world of edited images.
To find the answer, the scientists' group has collected 462 photos of adults of different ages, gender and ethnicity. Each photo was given a famous beauty filter, which smoothed the skin, changed the eye and lip shape, making the face visually more attractive.
Then 2748 participants joined the study. Each of them has viewed ten photos, or only the original, or only the enlarged version to avoid comparison effect. Participants have assessed faces in five measurements, attractiveness, intelligence, reliability, societies and happiness.
The results showed that the filters work like magic. More than 96% of the edited images received a higher attractiveness rating. Moreover, the effect was especially noticeable for not so attractive faces.
"We expected that the filters would raise the attractiveness, otherwise they would not be called beauty filters," said Adit Adia Gulat. "But we were surprised by the effect of the effect. Filters worked equally well for all ages, gender and ethnic affiliation. "
However, the relationship between attractiveness and intellect was not so linear. Prior to the 2nd level of the rating, the increase in the level of 3rd levels led to the noticeable growth of the intellectual assessment, moving from 5 to 6 had almost no effect on intelligence. In other words, after a certain level of beauty, the intelligence stopped being perceived as a consequence of attractiveness.
"We have seen the saturation effect," Gulati explained. "When a person becomes too beautiful, the connection between appearance and intelligence weakens." However, for such qualities such as friendliness and happiness, this limit does not apply. They continue to grow with attractiveness. "
The results of the study also revealed interesting differences by gender and age. Women generally received a higher rating for attractiveness and humanity than men. However, when it came to intelligence, they were in an unfavorable state, especially after filters. This indicates the influence of gender stereotypes, according to which beauty and intelligence in women are perceived as mutually mutilation qualities.
Age also played a role. Young young faces were constantly appreciated as more attractive, but the filters helped to close the gap between age groups, increasing the attractiveness of the average and elderly.
Translation of: Euromedia24.com
